Universal Orlando and Customer Delight

A visit to the top theme parks in Orlando is a lesson in building a great product. It was hot and humid when we visited Universal Orlando this May. Schools in Florida were yet to close for summer, so you would think the crowd would be average - but you’d be completely wrong. The place was bustling with people, with serpentine queues before every ride. People were patiently waiting for their turn, not minding the wait.?

30 mins in, I could tell why. Tickets, nearly $500 pp, stay - don’t even ask! The look on your kids’ face - PRICELESS. [Sorry for the cliche!].?

Did you know that Universal consulted with J.K. Rowling on the plot of the Hogsmeade ride to the Kings Cross station? Be it the brick wall that makes you disappear at 9 3/4th , or the dragon breathing fire at the Diagon alley actually warming up the surroundings - the experience is real, astounding and very worth the price and wait.

Another example is the crooked, bent palm trees dotting Seuss landing. These trees are those that survived hurricane Andrew. What a brilliant idea to reroot them here to add to the charm of Seussville!

The legacy ride - ET Adventure, takes you back to the movie. The experience is so real that you can actually smell fresh pine, which recreates the fragrance of the forest for visitors.?

The entire experience leaves you in awe. In awe of the painstaking effort that Universal has taken to make every visit worthwhile. This prompts you to think as to why customers come back again and again with little push. This will happen if the product itself is exceptional in the first place.?

What can SaaS companies learn from the Universal experience??

1. Look for a white space. Even in a cluttered ‘Amusement Park’ market, there is a missing ‘Hogwarts’.
2. Shoot for excellence at every step.
3. Solve for the corner cases in your journeys [e.g. Child Swap that solves for parents with babies, Single rider lines that are faster when your kid wants a 3rd time!, FastPass - expensive but fantastic RoI].?
4. What are the lanes your users need that they will be willing to pay for? Are you doing Editions right? Do you have Platinum support for those who would rather pay than DIY? Solving problems comes with better margins for practically the same product.
5. Over time, get others to make money on the back of your success e.g. hotels tied to park that charged higher but gave out some park perks (win-win). For SaaS companies, it is the SIs and adjacent product integrations etc. that make it easy for others to benefit and be your extended marketers / sellers.

The key is to build a product that scales every peak. As Walt Disney says, “It is kind of fun to do the impossible!”?